JP4093420B2 - Embroidery sewing machine that can display sewing patterns - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewn pattern.

Sewing machines that can store stitch data for forming a pattern in a storage device and can perform embroidery sewing based on the data are widely used.
In such a sewing machine, with the recent increase in the capacity of storage devices, it becomes possible to store complicated pattern data, and embroidery sewing can be performed by combining such complicated patterns. The number of stitches for embroidery stitching is expanding.

However, with the increase in the number of stitches, there is a problem that the bobbin thread often disappears during execution of embroidery sewing. If the bobbin thread runs out during embroidery, it is necessary to stop the sewing machine and return the pattern to several tens of stitches from the stop position, replenish the bobbin thread, and restart the machine. It was.
In order to improve such drawbacks, the lower thread remaining amount is displayed or the lower thread remaining amount is indicated by Japanese Patent Application No. 4-334987, Japanese Patent Application No. 4-146665, Japanese Patent Application No. 4-163652, etc. The present applicant has already proposed a sewing machine capable of warning shortage.
An object of the present invention is to further develop these inventions and provide an embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewn pattern.

In order to achieve the above object, an embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewable pattern according to the present invention forms stitches corresponding to a plurality of selectable patterns and provides pattern data for displaying the plurality of patterns. Means, means for selecting a desired plurality of patterns from means for providing the pattern data, obtaining corresponding pattern data, means for forming a seam based on the pattern data of the selected patterns, and the plurality of selected Means for displaying a pattern based on the pattern data of the pattern, means for giving data representing the amount of lower thread necessary to form the selected plurality of patterns, and the remaining amount of lower thread attached to the sewing machine A means for detecting, a means for giving information on an order for judging whether or not the plurality of selected patterns can be sewn in order to efficiently use the current lower thread remaining amount, and a means for detecting Lower thread Whether the plurality of selected patterns can be sewn or not is determined by subtracting the amount of lower thread used in the order according to the information on the order from the amount and the data indicating the necessary lower thread amount, and can be sewn. Means for detecting a pattern, and means for causing the display means to display a sewable display for the sewable pattern detected by the means for detecting the sewable pattern, and means for detecting the sewable pattern. An embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewable pattern, characterized in that a stitch is formed on the sewable pattern determined and detected by the method so as to efficiently use the current lower thread remaining amount. This solved the problem.
Further, the problem has been solved by that the means for giving information on the order is an embroidery sewing machine that gives an order corresponding to the sewing order and can display a sewing pattern. Moreover, the means for giving information about the order is an embroidery sewing machine that can display a sewable pattern giving an order corresponding to the pattern arrangement order. Further, the problem has been solved by using an embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewn pattern giving an arbitrary order desired by the user as a means for giving information on the order. Moreover, the means for giving information about the order solved the problem by using an embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewing pattern giving an order corresponding to the required lower thread amount. In addition, the problem has been solved by providing an embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewn pattern in which the order corresponding to the necessary lower thread amount is in the order of the required lower thread amount. In addition, the problem has been solved by providing an embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewn pattern in which the order corresponding to the necessary lower thread amount is the order of smaller required lower thread amount.

The embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewable pattern according to the present invention can search and detect a sewable pattern in an order according to various criteria based on the current lower thread remaining amount for the selected pattern. There is an effect that the detection result can be displayed. In addition, it is determined whether or not the selected pattern can be sewn with the current remaining amount of lower thread, and the sewn pattern is detected and displayed on the display device 26 in different colors. In addition, since the order of determining whether or not sewing is possible can be specified based on various criteria such as the order of the required lower thread amount Hk in the descending order or the ascending order, the user can sew with the current lower thread remaining amount while viewing the display device 26. Possible patterns can be searched in various orders, and efficient use of the lower thread can be achieved.
Further, when there is no pattern that can be sewn, a warning is given that the amount of lower thread is insufficient, so that it is possible to replace the lower thread before starting sewing.
Furthermore, the pattern displayed on the display device 26 and the sewable pattern are not only displayed, but also can be printed out by the printing device 32.

A desired plurality of patterns are selected from means for providing stitch data corresponding to a plurality of selectable patterns and pattern data for displaying the plurality of patterns, and the remainder of the lower thread attached to the sewing machine is selected. The amount is detected, and it is determined by subtracting the amount of lower thread to be used in the order according to the information on the order to determine whether or not the plurality of selected patterns can be sewn respectively, and a sewing possible display is displayed for the sewn pattern.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, the pattern data storage means 1 includes stitch data for forming a plurality of patterns, display data for displaying the patterns on the display means 6, and a necessary lower thread amount Hk required for sewing the patterns. Is remembered. This pattern can be selected by the pattern selection means 2, and is configured so that one or a plurality of patterns can be selected.
A pattern code is attached to each pattern, and the pattern can be recognized by the code. When the pattern itself is formed from a plurality of small patterns, a pattern code is attached to each small pattern as shown in the drawing, and stitch data, display data, and necessary lower thread amount Hk are stored in each pattern.
The display data of the pattern selected by the pattern selection means 2 is sent to the display control means 5 and displayed on the display means 6. Further, the stitch data of the pattern is sent to the stitch formation mechanism control means 3, and the embroidery stitch of the pattern is executed by the stitch formation mechanism 4.
The necessary lower thread amount Hk is sent to the sewable pattern detecting means 9.
In this embodiment, the necessary lower thread amount Hk is stored in the pattern data storage means 1, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be provided separately as the necessary lower thread amount data giving means.
It is also possible to store the number of stitches of the pattern without directly storing the necessary lower thread amount, and to calculate and output the necessary lower thread amount from here. That is, it is also possible to determine the necessary amount of bobbin thread required for one stitch in advance and multiply this by the number of stitches for calculation. Further, it is also possible to obtain a sewing distance by accumulating the relative movement amount of the stitch data and multiplying this by a predetermined constant to obtain the required amount of lower thread.

The remaining amount of the currently installed lower thread in the stitch formation mechanism 4 is detected by the lower thread remaining amount detecting means 8. In this embodiment, the lower thread remaining amount detecting means 8 detects the remaining amount of the lower thread attached to the bobbin of the stitch forming mechanism 4 and is disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-126996. Are using things.
The sewable pattern detection means 9 compares the necessary lower thread amount Hk in the pattern data storage means 1 with the lower thread remaining amount from the lower thread remaining amount detection means 8 and is detected by the lower thread remaining amount detection means 8. It is determined whether the pattern selected by the remaining amount of the lower thread can be sewn, and the sewn pattern is detected.
If there are a plurality of patterns selected at this time, it is determined whether or not sewing is possible according to the order specified by the sewing pattern determination order assigning means 7.

The sewable pattern determination order giving means 7 may be, for example, an operation means that can be operated by the user to specify an arbitrary or predetermined order of determination, or predetermined according to the selected pattern. The order may be given by the sewing pattern determining order giving means 7.
For example, a priority order is determined in accordance with the required lower thread amount Hk, for example, a pattern having a larger required lower thread amount Hk is determined first, and this priority order is instructed to the sewable pattern detection means 9 by the selected pattern. You may make it do. It is also possible to instruct the pattern arrangement order and the sewing order as the judgment order. Furthermore, any other order such as the order corresponding to the color classification of the pattern, the selection order, the order stored in the pattern data storage means 1 can be designated.

  The display control means 5 attaches a sewable display to the sewable pattern detected by the sewable pattern detection means 9 and displays it on the display means 6. In this embodiment, sewing patterns are displayed in different colors.

With reference to FIG. 5, the specification of the order of determination by the sewable pattern determination order giving means 7 and the detection and display of the sewable pattern by the sewable pattern detection means 9 will be described with specific examples.
For example, assume that three patterns of large, medium, and small are selected from the pattern data storage unit 1 as shown in FIG. Necessary lower thread amount Hk for large, medium and small is set in the order of large, medium and small.
As shown in (B), when the sewing pattern determination order giving means 7 issues an instruction to determine the required lower thread amount Hk in descending order, the selected patterns are ordered in the order of large, medium and small. The sewable pattern detection means 9 determines whether the pattern can be sewn in this order. That is, first, it is determined whether sewing is possible from the amount of remaining lower thread for the large thread, and if it is possible, the middle thread is determined next. At this time, the amount obtained by subtracting the amount of the used lower yarn from the amount of the remaining lower yarn is compared with the necessary lower yarn amount Hk. In this way, the comparison is performed in accordance with the sequentially specified order. In the case of (B), large sewing is possible, but then the middle sewing can be performed only halfway, and the sewable pattern detecting means 9 determines that only the large can be sewn, and only this large Color-coded.

The example of (C) shows a case where the sewing pattern determination order assigning means 7 has instructed to determine from the smaller required lower thread amount Hk, and small and medium can be sewn. Is displayed in different colors.
(D) shows an example in which the determination is made in the order of medium, small and large, which is the pattern arrangement order, and the medium and small patterns are displayed in different colors.
(E) shows an example of the case where the user designates the middle / large / small order based on the importance of the pattern, the color classification, and other criteria. Here, it is determined that sewing can be performed halfway between the middle and the large. Are detected and color-coded.
Similarly, in (F), the order of large and small is designated by the user, and large and small are displayed in different colors.
Note that the above shows an example of determination and display, and other determinations and display are naturally possible within the scope of the present invention.
In addition, the display of the pattern that can be sewn is not color-coded, but various forms such as display shading, diagonal lines, painting, luminance change, or blinking can be employed.

A hardware configuration example in the case where the above embodiment is realized by using a microcomputer will be described with reference to FIG.
The central processing unit 20 controls the sewing machine motor driving circuit 23 and the XY motor driving circuit 40 to drive the stitch forming mechanism 24 while driving the X direction motor 41 and the Y direction motor 42, and to store pattern data storage means. 21 and the stitches of the pattern selected by the pattern selection button 22 are formed. The speed of the sewing machine motor drive circuit 23 is controlled by the speed controller 44, and the X-direction motor 41 and the Y-direction motor 42 move the embroidery frame 43 shown in FIG. 3 in the xy direction to realize embroidery stitching. ing.

The central processing unit 20 causes the display device 26 to display the selected pattern via the display control device 25, and the display device 26 is attached to the arm portion of the sewing machine body X as shown in FIG. Is provided.
The display device 26 is provided with the pattern selection button 22 as a touch panel, and the pattern displayed on the display device 26 can be selected by the touch panel.

A plurality of patterns are stored in the pattern data storage means 21 with a pattern code, and each pattern data is composed of stitch data, display data, and necessary lower thread amount Hk.
Further, the stitch forming mechanism 24 is provided with a lower thread remaining amount detection sensor 28, which detects the remaining amount of the lower thread of the bobbin that is currently mounted and inputs it to the central processing unit 20.
The central processing unit 20 can sew from the input lower thread remaining amount and the necessary lower thread amount Hk stored in the pattern data storage means 21 based on the program stored in the sewable pattern detection program storage device 30. It is configured to detect a pattern.
The order of patterns for determining whether or not sewing is possible in the sewing pattern detection program storage device 30 can be specified by a sewing pattern determination order selection button 33, and the user can select the necessary lower thread amount Hk in ascending order. Instructions such as the order of decreasing thread amount Hk, the order of arrangement, the order of sewing, the order according to the pattern color, and the like can be issued. An arbitrary order can be set.
The temporary storage device 31 stores a program for sequentially numbering the selected patterns in response to an instruction from the sewable pattern detection program storage device 30, and the central processing unit 20 is selected according to this. The sewing patterns are arranged in order to determine whether sewing is possible, and this order is stored in the temporary storage device 31.

The sewable pattern detected in accordance with the program stored in the sewable pattern detection program storage device 30 is displayed with a sewable display (color coding in this embodiment) on the display device 26 via the display control device 25, as shown in FIG. In this way, it is configured to be displayed in different colors.
In this embodiment, a sewing pattern display selection button 29 is provided, and when the user operates the sewing pattern display selection button 29, the sewing pattern is detected and displayed.
When there is no order instruction from the sewing pattern determination order selection button 33, a predetermined initial mode such as an arrangement order is set, and the order is determined according to this order.

  In this embodiment, a printing device 32 is further provided so that the pattern displayed on the display device 26 and the sewing possible display can be printed out.

The operation will be described with reference to FIG.
When the pattern selection button 22 is operated, the pattern is selected, the pattern is displayed (steps S1 and S2), and the sewing pattern display selection button 29 is operated (step S3), the central processing unit 20 can sew. The selected patterns are ordered according to the program stored in the pattern judgment ordering program storage device 34, and pattern numbers k = 1 to N are assigned according to the order. Then, the order is stored in the temporary storage device 31 (step S4). Next, the detection value of the remaining amount of lower thread by the lower thread remaining amount detection sensor 28 is input (step S5), the selected pattern number N is stored (step S6), and the accumulated necessary lower thread amount Hs is set to zero. (Step S7). Further, k is set to 1 (step S8).
Then, the necessary lower thread amount Hk stored in the pattern data storage means 21 is compared with the remaining lower thread amount for the first pattern, k = 1 (step S9). If the remaining amount of the lower thread is larger than the necessary lower thread amount, the pattern is displayed by color and the pattern code is stored in the temporary storage device 31 (step S10). Then, the necessary lower thread amount Hk of the pattern is accumulated in the accumulated necessary lower thread amount Hs (step S11), and it is determined whether k = N (step S12). If the remaining amount of the lower thread is smaller than the required lower thread amount Hk in step 9, or if k is less than N in step 12, 1 is added to k (step S14), and the required lower thread amount Hk is sewn up to now. The accumulated value Hs of the necessary lower thread amount of the pattern that is made possible is added (step S15), and the process returns to step 9.
The above operation is executed for all the pattern numbers N to detect a sewable pattern.
When the detection is completed and the sewable pattern is zero (step S13), the central processing unit 20 causes the display device 26 to display a warning indicating that the lower thread is insufficient and to prompt replacement (step S16). If the sewing possible pattern display selection button 29 is operated again by performing an operation such as thread replacement (step S17), the process returns to step 5. If not operated, the operation is terminated.

  If there is a sewable pattern (step S13), when the speed controller 44 is operated (step S18), the stitch data of the sewable pattern is read from the pattern data storage means 21 (step S19), and the stitch formation is executed. (Step S20). When the sewing of all sewable patterns is finished (step S21), the operation is finished.

According to the embodiment described above, it is determined whether or not the selected pattern can be sewn with the current lower thread remaining amount, and the sewn pattern is detected and displayed on the display device 26 in different colors. In addition, since the order of determining whether or not sewing is possible can be specified based on various criteria such as the order of the required lower thread amount Hk in the descending order or the ascending order, the user can sew with the current lower thread remaining amount while viewing the display device 26. Possible patterns can be searched in various orders, and efficient use of the lower thread can be achieved.
Further, when there is no pattern that can be sewn, a warning is given that the amount of lower thread is insufficient, so that it is possible to replace the lower thread before starting sewing.
Furthermore, the pattern displayed on the display device 26 and the sewable pattern are not only displayed, but also can be printed out by the printing device 32.

The functional block diagram which shows one Example of this invention. The circuit block block diagram which shows one Example of this invention. The flowchart figure which shows operation | movement of one Example of this invention. 1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention. Explanatory drawing of the operation | movement of one Example of this invention, and a display example.

Explanation of symbols

1: pattern data storage means, 2: pattern selection means, 3: stitch formation mechanism control means, 4: stitch formation mechanism, 5: display control means, 6: display means, 7: sewable pattern judgment order provision means, 8: Lower thread remaining amount detection means, 9: Sewing possible pattern detection means, 20: Central processing unit, 21: Pattern data storage means, 22: Pattern selection button, 23: Sewing motor drive circuit, 24: Stitch formation mechanism, 25: Display control device, 26: display device, 28: lower thread remaining amount detection sensor, 29: sewing pattern display selection button, 30: sewing pattern detection program storage device, 31: temporary storage device, 32: printing device, 33: Sewing possible pattern judgment order selection button, 34: Sewing possible pattern judgment ordering program storage device, 40: XY motor drive circuit, 41: X direction motor, 42: Y direction motor, 43: Embroidery frame, 44: Speed Controller.

Claims (7)

A pattern data for forming stitches corresponding to a plurality of selectable patterns and displaying the plurality of patterns, and a pattern data corresponding to a plurality of patterns selected from the means for providing the pattern data Means for forming a seam based on the pattern data of the plurality of selected patterns, means for displaying a pattern based on the pattern data of the plurality of selected patterns, and the plurality of selected patterns. Means for providing data representing the amount of lower thread necessary for forming, means for detecting the remaining amount of lower thread attached to the sewing machine, and for efficiently utilizing the current remaining amount of lower thread From the means for giving information on the order in which it is determined whether or not the plurality of selected patterns can be sewn, and the lower thread remaining amount from the detecting means and the data representing the necessary lower thread amount, the selected plurality of patterns Each pattern is sewn It is determined whether or not it is possible by subtracting the amount of lower thread to be used in the order according to the information relating to the order, and the sewing is detected by means for detecting a sewing pattern and means for detecting the sewing pattern. Means for causing the display means to display a sewing possible display for the pattern, and forming a stitch on the sewn pattern detected and detected by the means for detecting the sewn pattern, An embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewable pattern characterized by efficient use of quantity. The embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewable pattern according to claim 1, wherein the means for giving information about the order gives an order corresponding to a sewing order. The embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewable pattern according to claim 1, wherein the means for giving information on the order gives an order corresponding to a pattern arrangement order. The embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewable pattern according to claim 1, wherein the means for giving information on the order gives an arbitrary order desired by a user. The embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewable pattern according to claim 1, wherein the means for giving information on the order gives an order corresponding to a necessary lower thread amount. 6. The embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewable pattern according to claim 5, wherein the order corresponding to the necessary lower thread amount is the order of increasing required lower thread amount. The embroidery sewing machine capable of displaying a sewable pattern according to claim 5, wherein the order corresponding to the necessary lower thread amount is the order of smaller required lower thread amount.

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